THE success of a West Cumbrian Pubwatch scheme is helping to combat anti-social behaviour across its members’ bars and pubs.
Whitehaven Pubwatch which was formed originally in 2002, has seen its membership swell in recent years with popularity of the Town as a night time drinking venue. There are now over twenty premises involved.
Pubwatch, the licensed trade’s equivalent of Neighbourhood Watch, sees members team up to deal with customers who cause or threaten damage, disorder or violence amongst other criminality.
Members can vote to bar the offender from all their establishments which acts as a deterrent to others whilst ensuring that troublemakers cannot enter any member premises.
Members also have access to an online gallery of troublemakers via a digital app in which they can access a gallery of those excluded and submit intelligence and nominate people for bans.
Whitehaven Pubwatch is a very successful group and has significantly contributed to ensuring that the pubs and clubs in Whitehaven are a safe place to socialise and work. They meet monthly and are well structured with good attendance with a lot of information shared within the group. The Police Licensing Officers attend meetings along with partner agencies and training and guidance is also provided to the Members.
The Pubwatch group has a positive effect on reducing town centre violence and disorder because of the banning system which varies from 3 months for minor indiscretions to 5 years or lifetime ban for the most serious offences.
Whitehaven Pubwatch has now decided that anyone found distributing drugs in any of their member premises will face a minimum five-year ban. These stricter punishments will impact the social life of culprits; rightly excluding them from the town’s public houses and off-license premises. This mirrors the strict stance taken over many years in imposing 13 month bans for disorder over the festive period thus ensuring perpetrators are banned from pubs for two Christmas periods.
Sergeant David Macdonald of the Copeland Neighbourhood Policing Team, responsible for Licensing said: “From a policing point of view, licensing standards in Copeland are high and this campaign highlights the stance the trade are taking.
"Its aim is to remind individuals there are legal requirements the licensing trade have to comply with but ultimately people have to take responsibility for their own consumption of alcohol and behaviour.
“There are always a small number of people who just take it too far when socialising. This often leads to trouble which creates stress and even injury for pub goers, pub owners, pub staff and even the police.
“So, I am pleased to see Pubwatch partners imposing robust but appropriate bans, meaning that anyone causing trouble will be put on a ban for a lengthy period. People need to have confidence that they can enjoy a good night out safely and responsibly.”
Cumbria Constabulary have increased police patrols in the area around creating safer Town Centres. The Safer Streets Summer Initiative is putting neighbourhood policing back at the heart of our communities. Cumbria’s dedicated officers are now visible and accessible in town centres where they're needed most, tackling the issues that matter to local residents.
There are also increased patrols in Whitehaven as part of Operation Enhance to target anti-social behaviour (ASB) and serious violence in hotspot areas across the county.